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Lorry driver broke bridge weight limit

A LORRY driver who drove his 7.5-tonne vehicle over a bridge with a 3-tonne limit has been fined £500, the county council has said. Graham Martin Hoiser was spotted by a county council bridge technician crossing Shabbington East Bridge, near Thame, on June 19 last year.

Mr Hoiser, of Waverley Avenue, Kidlington, admitted breaching the weight restriction and was sentenced at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

The 48-year-old was fined £500 and was also ordered to pay £130 costs and a £50 victims’ surcharge fee.

The weight limit was installed after surveys found the bridge to be weak.

Richard Webb, the county council’s Trading Standards teams manager, said: “Bridge weight restrictions are there for a very good reason.

“Ignoring restrictions means drivers of heavy vehicles are putting other bridge users and themselves in danger as they could cause a serious accident through a bridge collapse.”

Mr Webb called Mr Hoiser’s actions “utterly irresponsible,” and added: “It may be tempting for drivers to flout the rules to take a shortcut, but it’s always better to take the long and legal way round to ensure other road users’ safety and to avoid a criminal conviction.”